Monthly Archives: October 2016

So today I’m ironing lace things and feminine clothes for a shoot tomorrow, whilst thinking if someone had told me 15 years ago I’d be taking pictures of nude and scantly clad women I’d have thought them to be bonkers…funny how life turns out. On the other hand I now appreciate clothes a lot more but view them in a different light than what the fashion designers intended. Second hand shops are gold mines.

Tillie Feather

However there’s a bit more to it than that, I’ve learnt so much more about various aspects of art nude photography that I never appreciated before, and I dont mean camera stuff as such. From my first nude shoot with Chrissie many years ago I learnt that sometimes ideas go wrong and you need to adapt and improvise, also shooting nudes is fun and creative, it is not scary, sexual or sleazy in the slightest. Also it’s quite difficult to do well and very technically challenging to get it right in the camera.

Chrissie Red

So when honing my skill set over the years I’ve become used to looking at things differently, sometimes its how clothes are worn or not quite worn, other times its how we interact with each other, and mostly how to capture that. And on locations its about how to deal with the unexpected and improvising when situations change. How to make use of the available light and how to shoot quickly and efficiently when speed is required.

Rachelle Summers

Yet all through this there are subtle things you learn, like how to communicate effectively with the model or team without causing offence in delicate situations, how to get the shots you need without being crass, bullish and insensitive. It’s the social aspect that develops along the way, talking with respect and acting with respect. Plus and maybe more importantly being honest and truthful when dealing with the team, valuing their input and listening to their opinions and acting on them when necessary.

Kimono and Ivory

I also learnt from nearly the word go that some people just will not understand this genre of photography, either their outlook on life or their upbringing will just not allow them to accept that art nude is a proper genre worthy of respect. And in this I respect their outlook and although they may not respect mine I never try to justify the way I take images to anyone. It’s one of those aspects of life that has to be experienced before understanding dawns over the horizon.

Sultry

Now I see colours and shapes differently, and that is always something that I took no real notice of in the past. How a model’s pose in the environment can create an interesting look or in fact ruin it, not everything works and it takes time to recognise that. I also now understand the dynamics between art nude and erotica, though I suspect that there’s lot more to learn there. What makes something sensual or not? when you begin its difficult to discern but just by taking pictures you start to see the subtle differences between the different levels of sensuality. This comes about naturally and is understood through experience.

Lulu Lockhart

The other thing is how the light plays across the body and where it shouldn’t and should be in order to get the best image, or should I say, the image I want people to see. To be free to be experimental and understand that some things fail to work properly, adapt and change, learn and experience. And I know its ok to come away from a shoot with very few good images but its also important to understand why I did so.

Helen Stephens

So many things learnt and so many still to learn, I often wonder when I’ll feel like a grown up! at the moment I’m still a kid in a toy store poking and touch things, making a noise and generally being a pest. Telling people what being an art nude photographer is like is a bit strange because basically we get ourselves in some bizarre situations that no-one really believes. Yet to myself, models and others in the genre it’s all so very normal and everyday. Aren’t people strange or is it just me!?

Anyway, back to ironing some frilly things!

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Hurrah Summer time is on usual form during my summer shoot with Rachelle Summers and the rain pissed down big time in good style. Rachelle Summers and I have done loads of studio stuff due to various past circumstances, and we’ve been determined to do more location shoots. The last time we did a beach shoot one of my lenses failed to focus properly and most of the images were slightly soft due back focusing, fortunately we got lots of forest shots that time so it worked out great. So I was looking forward to re-doing the same type of shoot but with a working lens. Sadly the weather was awful and I didn’t book the studio as a backup as I kept hoping it would clear up. So anyways I picked her up at the station and headed straight for Costa for coffee and cake, and we sat there for a while watching the rain pour down. After a while we decided to head out to the beach anyway just to see what we could get. By the time we got there the rain had stopped but the sky and sea were shrouded in a dull low cloud funk. However we trooped on and got some rather good shots in the end, we didn’t change themes much as we were running out of time due to waiting for the weather to clear.

Rachelle Summers

Rachelle Summers

We walked on a bit towards some debris in the distance, when we got closer it turned out to be some very sturdy tree trunks, so we took advantage as you do….

Rachelle Summers

Rachelle Summers

Sadly by the time we got round to this the rain started to come back on and we had almost ran out of time anyway, which was a shame because there was much more debris that could have been used but such is life. I think we got some pretty cool shots considering the circumstances and working with Rachelle is always a pleasure, Hopefully more shoots next year 🙂

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So earlier this year Veronica Wotton asked if we could do a joint shoot with Stephanie Dubois and of course I agreed instantly, as you do…..only then I found out that I would have to model with Stephanie as Vron wanted to do some Jack Vettriano inspired ideas. Anyways I agreed to it and besides its always fun working with Stephanie. As the shoot day drew closer I realised I needed braces to complete the costume, this turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as I felt they were crucial to the feel of the shoot. I looked online but it was hard to choose without seeing them…..the high St shops were very expensive for them, I was running out of time however at the eleventh hour I found them in Tescos cheap as chips! ain’t life funny!

Anyway on the day of the shoot we headed out with a picnic and costumes to Tentsmuir beach, this was an all day shoot and the afternoon had the promise of a storm to come. The morning though was dusted by small fluffy clouds. The idea was that Vron would shoot Stephanie and myself and I would click a remote trigger for my camera on a tripod, sadly the remote’s signal didn’t reach far enough and Vron had to be my human remote trigger and press the button on the camera when I shouted. In the end it worked out quite well. Though I didn’t really know where I was in the frame….so a little editing was needed to get the compositions right, I also gave the images a painterly effect….and dare I say it….it used pure white. Blasphemy and Outrage!!

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

Location shoots can often be an adventure and opportunities can crop up, and this one proved to be no different. Vron accosted a horse rider walking with her horse and Vron got some excellent shots of Stephanie with the horse, I didn’t take much of the horse because I was at the wrong angle and it was very much Vron’s idea. However they looked fab on the back of the camera.

After a break for lunch and well earned cake we carried on and Stephanie made a lovely floral head piece whilst Vron and I lounged in the sand with full tummies. A quick outfit change and a wee splash about in the sea…

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

By now the promised Storm was starting to head our way, so we changed tack and took advantage of the clouds…

Stephanie Dubois

Things were getting a bit stormy now, the wind picked up and the light was fading fast, although it was still warm the temp dropped a bit..

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

Stephanie Dubois

By this time the clouds were disappearing into a horrible blanket of greyness and the rain looked like it wasn’t far behind. So we called it a day and managed to get one last scene before leaving Tentsmuir. On the way out Vron parked her Figaro in a wooded lane and we bagged a lovely shot of Stephanie in a 1920s style dress. We were accosted by a ranger who asked us if we were in trouble but left once we explained what we were doing.

Stephanie Dubois

By the time we took the final shot the rain started and it pelted down in a grey fug all the way home, so it looks like we definitely made the most of the day. All in all a fun day out with laughs and dancing and paddling about in the sea. And of course Stephanie was lovely to work with and made shooting every scene effortless. There are still some images left to edit as it was a very productive day. Hopefully maybe more Summer adventures next year.

PS. The next time I model I’ll need to lose some weight, damn this middle age spread malarky!!

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Well in July I got another chance to work with Tillie, it had been a while since we worked together last and being the Summer I booked the studio, well only for a couple of hours. The weather this July was very unpredictable, even more so than usual. I picked Tillie up at the Malmaison Hotel where she was staying with her new hubby. We headed off to the studio, stopping of for snacks on the way….as you do. Tillie picked healthy stuff and of course I picked all the junk food. The kettle went on, then the lights and then…..

Flash bang wallop!! and off we went with a whiz bang!

Some straight art nude shapes to start with….

Then I had this idea to create a cloud scene as if Tillie was making or weaving clouds.

Tillie Feather

Tillie Feather

Tillie Feather

Tillie Feather

Then onto some studio lighting techniques for some textures and creative shots

Tillie Feather

After a quick snack we headed down to the beach to dabble about in the sand and surf at Tentsmuir…such a fabulous beach for model shots….and empty!!

Tillie Feather

I gave most of the beach shots a painterly touch, just for something different..

Tillie Feather

Tillie Feather

Tillie Feathee headed off

Such a great day…we had a laugh and a bit a chuckle on the beach before having to hand Tillie over to her next photographers, Brain Martin and Derek Noble. Amazingly I remembered to put sun tan lotion on my head…hurrah I didn’t get burnt!

Anyways, another grand day out and adventure, it was good to work with Tillie again. It had been a while and I think our schedules didn’t match up for a while, however we got there in the end. Tillie is a fab model and is highly recommended to anyone, always fun and easy to work with, quick to laugh and good company too.